Potential Rams Offseason Moves for 2019 Season
The best online sportsbooks, found all in one place at Sportsbook Review, are hanging odds of +700 on the Los Angeles Rams to win the Super Bowl a year from now. That’s right, Super Bowl 53 hasn’t even kicked and already the oddsmakers are letting you send it in on whichever team you choose to hoist the Lombardi Trophy next season.
It’s not mere coincidence that LA is tied with the Patriots as the top choice to win again in the 2019 season but so much has yet to take place before we determine whether those odds are generous or penurious. Let’s take a look at what the Rams will need next season either through free agency or in the draft this April.
Although it is difficult to gauge how well the Rams will do in attracting the free agent talent at the positions they need, we do know that LA will have either the 31st or 32nd pick in the draft. Barring a trade, LA will be without picks in the second, third, and seventh rounds due to prior deals made with teams now occupying those spots. There has been chatter that the Rams could part company with Ndamukong Suh and his $20 million price tag, which could open the door for an interior defensive lineman like Notre Dame’s Jerry Tillery at the back end of the first round.
However, the Rams may choose to keep Suh around and instead move to fill the void created by safety Lamarcus Joyner if the Rams cannot come to terms and don’t want to franchise him for a second consecutive season. If that is the case, then a safety like Delaware’s Nasir Adderley could be the object of their opening round affection. Granted, Adderley does not have the pedigree from a big-name school but he has been moving up the boards and could be a diamond in the rough for the Rams as the 31st or 32nd overall pick in the draft. Adderley is slated to be a high safety or even a cornerback at the next level. Georgia’s DeAndre Baker or Virginia’s Juan Thornhill could also be tapped here.
Texas A&M defensive lineman Daylon Mack could be the man to succeed Suh in the Rams’ interior and won’t have the price tag of a first-round pick. Mack had 5½ sacks this past season for the Aggies and looks to be a project worth taking a chance on for any team that needs help in the trenches. If LA doesn’t lock and load on the defensive interior then adding talent to their linebacking corps could very well come into play. Names like Wisconsin’s Ryan Connelly, Stanford’s Bobby Okereke or USC’s Cameron Smith may be considerations in the fourth to fifth round. The Rams could go back to the well and tap another corner or safety from the college pool in the sixth round.
LA has plenty of talent offensively but would be well-served by bolstering their defense. We all know the NFL is all about offense, but it’s been said that defense wins championships. That may not be as true in today’s locomotion league but without a stout defense that can create turnovers and stop the opposition from moving the chains, defense will always be a welcome weapon in the NFL.
The best online sportsbooks, found at Sportsbook Review, will be changing their odds based on the comings and goings of players during free agency while keeping an eye on the rookies during training camps. Whether a team booms or busts in the draft will have a direct correlation to the odds being hung offshore and in sportsbooks around the world. Let’s see how the Rams do on Sunday and then we can focus on their future.